


Misfit of Darkness

by Yemi Hikari (Yemi_Hikari)



Series: Misfit of Darkness [1]
Category: Neopets
Genre: Adventure, Depression, F/M, Gen, Genetic Disorders & Abnormalities, Male Faeries in Neopets, Mystery, Neopets Year Seven, Quests, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-08-26
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 22,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25187563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yemi_Hikari/pseuds/Yemi%20Hikari
Summary: There are no male faeries in the world of Neopia, right? Yet, something has always bothered the Library Faeries young charge, about himself, and who he is.
Relationships: Chase (Neopets OC)/Ameril (Neopets OC), Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Series: Misfit of Darkness [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824640
Collections: MinorFandomFest, Neopets: Why Are There No Boy Faeries?





	1. Outside

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Why Are There No Boy Faeries?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24870313) by [Yemi Hikari (Yemi_Hikari)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yemi_Hikari/pseuds/Yemi%20Hikari). 



> Disclaimer – I do not own Neopets.
> 
> I am completely restarting my "Why Are There No Boy Faeries?" series, though the original is going to be kept up here. My writing style has for one thing grown and my story idea has become more fledged out then in had been before. The level of 'willing suspension of disbelief' for Neopets tends to be higher then in other fandoms, and I tried working that into my previous fanfic, but I now want to make my story more believable.

The underground storage area for the Faerie Library felt dark and cool. There many a shelf lay in dust, waiting for someone to check out books, that simply had been forgotten, or had been under lock and key, via order of the Faerie Queen. These books lay in a secret place, behind a brick wall, to which the door and passage were rarely, if ever opened.

Above the shelves, windows were located. These windows were enough, to allow light to filter through from above, so that candles need not always be lit, to light the shelves. The system in truth, was archaic, but it had been left and maintained for a very long time. Restrictions of who could use the library, always had been set in place.

Silence remained, even as the person who was down stairs, while the Library Faerie worked upstairs in the bookshop, walked down the isles, putting books onto appropriate shelves, or removing them to be shipped out to other libraries in Neopia. The hands simply did their task, and the eyes simply followed the titles and chart telling the person what to do.

However, the silence suddenly was broken, when a loud breaking sound was heard, and a ball from the outside, came hurtling through. The glass spilled over the top of the shelf, and the ball landed at the person's feet. The blue eyes blinked a couple of times, then reached down to pick up the ball from the ground.

The person found themselves suddenly abandoning their task, as they eyes the ball, then heard complaints from a few young neopets who were up the stairs. Stepping out and away, the young man headed for the stairs, and began to walk up them, silence following through. He stepped through the door to the library, then slid out the back door to the bookshop.

A green Blumaroo, a blue Chia and a yellow Aisha stood bickering about who should go and get their ball. By how they were dressed, it seemed that they were in fact male. The figure simply stepped over to them, and held out the ball, their hand re-flexing down. "Did you lose this?"

The three young neopets startled, and suddenly looked up at the male with bewildered eyes. "Are you human?"

"Yes..." came the voice, nonplussed about their line of questioning.

"What is a human doing in a restricted area that is supposed to be neopets and faerie only?" The blue Chia blurted out, pointing his hand at the person.

Two blue eyes glanced around. "I believe that this is the library area, and only certain people are aloud on the grounds." He flexed his hand again. "Your ball? If you don't tell, I won't."

The green Blumaroo quickly grabbed the ball from the teenagers hand, and hurried off, his friends in hot pursuit. The Aisha suddenly turned around, and stuck out his tongue. The person simply watched them leave, then turned back to head back inside. However, as they headed to go through the back through the back door to the book stop, they heard voices.

"Daria, don't you get lonely with only yourself running our Library and Bookstore?" came the question of the Library Faerie.

"No... I don't get lonely running this library," the female chuckled.

"But how can you do it, being without magical ability, all on your own?" a second unfamiliar voice asked.

"I get by," the female stated. "I need to take this out back to the trash."

Two blue eyes suddenly sprung open, realization coming that the person was coming out the way they planned on going in, letting the person know that they had in fact gone outside, like they had been told admittedly not to do. He backed away, and headed back the way he came, in time to see the broken window.

Getting down, he carefully crawled inside, onto the top of the shelving units. He listened to hear her come out, then leave. He let out a sigh of relief, the glass on the top of the shelf biting his fingers. Unfortunately, he glanced over to the side, and suddenly felt everything move around him. The distance between him and the ground was great.

He found the world spinning, then felt his body falling, to crash loudly onto the floor. As he let out a groan due to the pain, he suddenly heard footsteps pounding on the stairs. The Library Faerie popped down there, and began to pull him up. "Are you all right, boy?"

"I'm fine..." came the muttered reply. "I was putting books away, and I fell."

"You're lying to me," the woman stated, pulling him into her arms. "You are terrified of heights, and there isn't a ladder in site. She reached down, and picked up a shard of glass. "What happened to the window?"

"I broke it," he lied through his teeth.

"Again, I know that you are lying," the woman sighed. "There should be a ball or such around here..."

"I all ready returned it to the owners," the boy stated, suddenly feeling her grip tighten.

"You went outside, despite me telling you not to?" the woman asked.

"I've never been out there. Is it because humans are restricted in their movements in Neopia that you don't let me out?" the boy sighed, pulling his knees to his chest.

"Sort of," the woman forced him to his feet. "Come... we need to get you upstairs and cleaned up." At that, she drug him onto his feet, and then up the stairs, and up the more stairs into the living area. When she had bandaged his hands, she went back downstairs, leaving him to sulk and sit on the stairs listening.

Someone came into the bookstore. "Hi! I am looking for a book on faerie names!"

"Ahh... so you're interested in studying up on why names help give us faeries our powers?" the Library Faerie commented. "Ameril, you really are into your studies you know. You will be a great faerie some day. Unfortunately, I don't have such a book at the moment."

The boy leaned on his fist. "I wish someone would just give me a name."


	2. Aversion to Humans

The wind up in Faerie Land blew across the clouds as Ameril walked down the street with her friends, chatting about the end of the school year and the school books they were getting for the next year. All three of them were of the light alignment and they gossiped about the latest things going on around them. They were part of her closest group of friends.

As they walked down the main shopping district of Faerie Land, a long street filled with the businesses, they passed by a cafe, where chatter occurred about the latest sweet treat that the shop came up with. Faeries and humans gathered together, chatting up a storm, the main street being one of the few places that the humans could go.

While the light Faeries couldn't tell which of the females without wings were human or simply Faerie in human form, it was obvious that every single male there was human. A sugary smell wafted out of the cafe door and the three females sniffed, but then one of her friends, Charil turned up her nose. "You know, I think humans stink and they make us Faeries stink in return."

"Yes, they make it so that we can't pick up the smell from the shop." Ameril stated, shaking her head at the female. As far as she could tell, there was really no way to tell a Faerie from a human, other then the fact that there were no male Faeries. Well, she had heard that the older Faeries had a way of telling if someone was in their human form or not.

That was out of her league and not something she had studied yet despite being the top of her class, which would be starting what would be equivalent to high school level courses the next year. Some of the young faeries, those her were older then her, rumored that it had something to do with family lines, which was why the Dark Faeries supposedly had more Faeries who could pull it off.

"You know, I wish the males would just disappear." Rhene piped up, her hair cut short in an attempt to make herself stand out from the other light Faeries. It wasn't that they all looked the same, but to the human and Neopet eye, unless you were one of the greats, the typical scenario was to associate people with being the same person or persons.

"Why don't we just make them disappear?" Charil sighed, suddenly wiggling her finger as a male walked out of the shop with his treat. Suddenly it flew into his face and everyone burst out laughing. A Faerie came running out of the shop and profusely apologized to the customer and offered a replacement, causing Charil to scowl. "Seriously, why do they get such good treatment?"

Ameril didn't answer as the Faeries at the shop glanced around, trying to figure out who had pulled the stunt. She and her friends headed off to the Library shop and they walked in, the bell suddenly ringing as they stepped in. Charil and Rhene moved over to the stacks of regular textbooks that the Library Faerie always set out each year for each grade.

Ameril though walked over. "Hi. I am looking for a book on Faerie Names."

"Ahh... so you're interested in studying up on why names help give us Faeries our powers? Ameril, you really are into your studies, you know. You will be a great Faerie some day. Unfortunately, I don't have such a book at the moment."

"I had a special summer project dealing with the subject though. I kind of wanted to get it done as soon as possible." The female sighed. She reached up a hand to brush away her hair from the side of her face. "You'll let me know when it gets in?"

"Sure. Though... Ameril, you could try using a source other then a book." The Library Faerie spoke up, shaking her head at the female. A creaking sound, as if someone was going up stairs behind the wall was suddenly heard.

"Auntie, don't you think it is a bad idea that you pander not using books? This is your job, isn't it?" The small female laughed. Charil's eyes sparkled with mirth.

"My position is paid by the government, so I am honestly not worried about all of this." The Library Faerie shook her head. "I'll admit though, that I get a commission from what gets sold from the shop, however... these books are the kind that people wish to keep, not something they will be returning in a few days. Customer service is everything."

"So, you don't have much money to buy yourself nice things?" Charil rolled her eyes then spoke from the side to her two friends so that the Library Faerie couldn't hear. "It is no wonder she never got far in our family. Status is everything. What else are looks for?"

"According to some Faeries, it is to attract one of those human boyfriends." Rhene suddenly spoke up, startling the Library Faerie.

"I might get it if there were such a thing as male Faeries, but the real truth is, there is only us females. There is no point in us going after a guy, when we just simply exist, which is why none of them exist. End of story." The niece didn't notice the odd look that her aunt gave her.

"What are you going to be studying next year in school?" The Library Faerie spoke up, her head shaking at her younger family member.

"Who cares. It's going to be boring basic classes yet again. I mean, I've head the first year of High School is basic review of what we've already learned in class. Though..." The female blinked, trying to look innocent suddenly, only to come across as stuck up. "... I heard you needed basic for quite a few years. You only excelled at the books."

"That is true. You are telling me you are going to focus on your powers rather then the theory behind it?"

"It didn't do you any good, did it?" The female sighed as she pushed her books forward for purchase.

Ameril though spoke up. "Come on Charil. She is your family, isn't she? You don't need to be so cruel."

At that, Charil turned and looked at Ameril, her eyes going wide. "You are cruel to suggest that my words actually had cruel intentions."

This caused Ameril to frown, however the three girls jumped as the heard something moving upstairs. Rhene shook her head. "Rumor has it that you have a ghost up there."

"The place is old." The woman sighed. The three girls turned to leave, just as a human male came through the doorway. Charil suddenly smirked as a stack off books suddenly fell on his head.

"I wonder why that happened."


	3. Horneless Nixi

Every school year started on the same note and also ended on the same note. The small female Ixi sat in at her desk, her school lunch in front of her while she stared at the chalk bored, a rather emotionless look on her face as she tried not to think about the conversations going on around her. The other young Neopets talked about the same thing, despite the fact that they should have started talking about something new.

One of the females, a pink Cybunny spoke up, giggling her head off. "I am still trying to figure out what Nixi is supposed to be."

" _I am an Ixi. I've told everyone that many times._ " The small Ixi thought to herself. However, she choose not to show her irritation on her face. " _Why can't they talk about something else._ "

"What I am bothered with is the fact that she is colored pink like us, despite the fact that she should be colored something else like mutant. I mean, she claimes she is an Ixi, but she had no horns." Another pink Neopet, this time an Aisha spoke up. If Aisha could narrow their eyes, Nixi had the feeling that this particular Neopet would in fact narrow her eyes.

At that, the pink Bruce of the group spoke up. "Doesn't it cost money to color oneself a new color.?"

The three pink females stared at Nixi, and then the female Cybunny spook up, shaking her paw. "Listen, the truth of the matter is what little money she had, she spent on getting a new coloring in a sad attempt to fit in, despite the fact she is no recognizable breed of Neopet. I mean, she's one of the ones from the orphanage, so she has nothing. Look at the clothes she doesn't bother to wear at all. Moron."

At that, Nixi's attempts to ignore the females finally failed and she turned to the three females. "I was _born_ this way."

While she was referring to both her lack of horns and the fact that she was pink, the Cybunny scoffed at her, flapping her paw. "Yes. We know you were born _without_ horns. That means you are not an Ixi, because there is no such thing as an Ixi without horns."

At that, Nixi glared at the females, then returned to her uneaten lunch, only to have the Bruce speak up. "She's not eating her lunch because she is fat."

At that, the other two began to laugh with the pink Bruce. It was at this point the teacher walked in and stood at the front of the classroom. "I've finally drawn the subject for our classes summer project. We get to focus on the Faeries. Each of you is to work on a project of your choice. As usual, you will have a couple of weeks to assemble your projects after school starts. I will be able to tell if you threw it together in a few days."

At that, the Cybunny turned to the other two females. "I like the subject that we got."

Some of the males muttered their dislike of the project, while other females muttered their delight. One male spoke up. "Can we do a project about how Faeries came to be?"

"Moron." The Aisha let out a laugh suddenly. "The Faeries don't have any source of existence."

At that, Nixi blinked a couple of times. "Doesn't everyone and everything have mothers and fathers?"

To her surprise, the entire class burst out laughing, causing Nixi to suddenly flinch. Someone, she wasn't sure of suddenly piped up. "There is no such thing as male Faeries, end of story."

"Why don't you do your project on that, Nixi?" the Cybunny laughed. "I mean, you are interested in things that don't exist, like Ixi's without horns."

"I will take up that challenge." The small female Ixi glared at the females and then sat down.

"Yes..." The teacher, a female Flotsam that was yellow spoke up again. "I would like you to think about your projects for the rest of the day. Tomorrow is the last day of school, so remember that we will be having our class party, so be sure to bring some sort of treat if possible."

At that, Nixi paused, stopping to think about what she had said. Her project seemed quite impossible, as she had never heard about a male Faerie within the history books. She let out a sigh and glanced over at the Cybunny. However, she glanced forward, determination on her face. She would find a way to do the project and find the answers she wanted.

Eventually the day passed and the Cybunny bumped into her, causing her to stumble slightly. "Good luck on your project. As if you'll be able to find any male Faeries."

Nixi let out a sigh and headed back to the orphanage, heading up to her dorm area. She slid over to where her stash was hidden and pulled it out. She gathered what money she could and placed the funds into a small wallet, rather worn. She didn't know how much this would cost her, but she ended up heading towards a small shop that sold disposition cameras and bought a couple.

After sticking them in her bag, she then headed back towards the orphanage and she turned towards the female who headed up the adoptions for the orphanage. "Would it be all right if I go this afternoon to Faerieland?"

At that, the female blinked a couple of times. "Be sure to be back before it becomes dark outside. It is nice that you are deciding to have fun. Do you have enough money to get there and back? At least have enough to use the pay phone if something happens to you, understand?"


	4. Into the Library

The cost of getting to Faerieland was not overly expensive, or at least Nixi felt as she had still a purse stuffed with coins and paper bills. She slid through the streets, glancing around. She passed by a small cafe where a crowd was gathered and she sniffed the air, smelling something goof, likely a new product that they were selling. At that though, she paused. "I don't have time nor the money to buy frivolities."

However, the smell got the better of her and she went in and saw the new product, a scrumptious looking cupcake, mint flavored with chocolate on top and decorated with beautiful Faerie wings. She pulled out her camera and took a picture. The person in charge leaned over and spoke to her. "That is our new product. We are also selling our items at the price of buy one, get one free."

"I'll take it." Nixi commented, buying the treat. It was packaged into a box for her and she placed it into the backpack she was carrying. She then glanced at her wallet, wondering if she had enough, but the wallet was still stuffed with miscellaneous bills and coins, though it had shrunk. She walked out of the place, muttering to herself."

As she walked out, she suddenly heard a gasp from behind her and looked up to see that a male human suddenly had his cupcakes splattered into his face. He wore brimmed glasses and had a surprised look on his face. Nixi moved away, heading towards the Library, not having time to really think about these things, but she noticed three light Faeries also leaving. She found herself bothered by the looks on their faces.

She stopped outside of the Library shop and stared up at it, not sure about going in, her confidence about asking her question simply getting the better of her. She watched as the three Light Faeries went in, and she simply watched. Finally, when a human went into the place, she followed behind him. This was a different male this time around.

As she walked in, she watched as a stack of books fell onto the male human's head. She watched as the three Light Faeries walked out and noticed that one of them started giggling. "I wonder why that happened."

Nixi didn't speak up, but simply walked over to the young man and began to help the Library Faerie to pull off the books. The male human at first stared at her. "Are you... an Ixi?"

"Yes. I am." Nixi spoke up, a smile spreading on her face.

"I wasn't sure, because I've never seen one without horns before." The male then turned towards the Library Faerie. "I came to get a book for the Neopet I take care of."

"You adopted a Neopet?" Nixi suddenly found herself becoming surprised at this, a smile spreading on her face. The male simply stared at her, as if her comment was bizare to him. He purchased the book he wished to get and then left. The Library Faerie then turned to Nixi and smiled at her, a rather polite look on her face and she asked what the small Ixi needed. "I am looking for information on male Faeries."

At that, the Library Faerie paused. Her face contorted up with shock and then she went behind her counter. "Now, why would you want that information?"

"We're doing our projects for class and I decided to do it on male Faeries." Nixi smiled at the Faerie, a big grin on her face.

"But that is a rather odd topic to pick, isn't it?" The library sighed, going to reorganize the books.

Nixi let out a sigh and titled her head and the Library Faerie. "The other Neopets in my class say it is impossible for there to be such a thing as a hornless Ixi. I get funny looks from people because I don't have horns. I figure, if I can prove that something that people don't think exists, does in fact exist, then I can prove I exist."

"I see." The female glanced away. "I can't help you. The library has no such information in which you are looking for."

At that, Nixi let out a deep sigh and she thanked the woman, despite the fact that the female Faerie couldn't help her. She walked out of the store and simply began to walk around, disappointed and trying to think of another way to get her information. She noticed a courtyard next to the library, overgrown with greenery that looked like a nice place to sneak to play

A no trespassing was there, but her curiosity got the better of her, not to mention, the garden happened to attract her attention and it seemed like a good place to think. Plus, there was an aura that happened to call her attention and she had that feeling of potential adventure, which the whole idea of looking for a male Faerie exuded.

There was a rough area that was kept mowed and had benches set up, not to mention there were windows set up around the place, windows that the sunlight was able to shine through. They were surrounded by a vine like foliage, yet it was kept nice a trim. Flowers bloomed everywhere and she noticed that one window was broken.

At that, she stooped down and crawled into the window, brushing the glass on top of the shelves away with her backpack. She got out her camera and held onto it as she found the ladder leaned up against the shelf and began to climb down the ladder to get to the floor below. As she did so, she suddenly heard a voice from behind her, male in nature.

"What are you doing?" At that, she found herself falling backwards and dropping the camera. It fell to the ground, letting off a flash and she saw clearly a young male, his eyes wide from the sudden flash staring down at her, his arms cross. He didn't at all look pleased with the fact that she was there, but then again, she was sneaking into a place that she didn't belong.


	5. Friendship

The boy walked up the stairs, his steps beating a steady rhythm as he headed up to the living quarters that was located above the Library Shop. He first went into the bathroom and used a pair of tweezers to pull the glass out of his fingers, the little was there. He then washed them with soap and water, feeling the pain suddenly sting even more.

After he placed bandages on the minor cuts on his hand, he went and lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, frustration at the fact that he felt as if he didn't have his freedom. Even if it meant he had to go back to the world that the humans came from, the truth of the matter was, he honestly wished that someone would call him something more then _boy_.

He then headed to a small room. A bed was built right into the wall, surrounded by closet and drawer space. A small desk was under the small window and he choose to flop down on the bed, his arms crossed behind his bed. He stared at the space above his head, which in truth was filled with nothing, as his life was made of small memories, including his name.

In frustration, he sat up and headed down the stairs, not stopping at the first floor, but heading down into the basement part of the library, where all of the books were located. He walked over to where the window had been broken, preparing himself to have to clean up the mess. As he walked over in the dimming light, he noticed something furry climbing down the ladder. "What are you doing?"

At that, the pink furred creature fell and he jumped as a camera flash suddenly went off. The small Neopet turned towards him, her eyes going wide suddenly. "Hi."

"Not, hi." The male narrowed his eyes, staring down at the small figure. "You are an odd looking Ixi, aren't you. Neopet's aren't allowed in this area of the library."

The small female stared at him, then spoke up. "Are you a male Faerie?"

"What?" At this, the young male blinked a couple of times. He then let out a sigh and scratched his head and closed his blue eyes. "There is no such thing."

"Then why is a human down here?" The Ixi frowned at him, but then continued. "I came down here wondering if I could find information on finding a male Faerie."

The boy suddenly knelt down to the ground. "Didn't I just tell you that male Faeries _don't_ exist?"

"I know that you told me this." The Ixi stated firmly. "However... hornless Ixi's aren't supposed to exist either."

"I see one in front of me, so I don't see how someone can say that they don't exist." The boy glanced back up at the window. "You need to climb back up there before the Library Faerie comes down here and kicks you out."

"You never explained why you are down here." The Ixi held out her hoof. "My name is Nixi by the way. What is yours?"

"I don't have a name." The boy let out a deep sigh.

"Why don't you have a name." The small animal caused him to let out a sigh of frustration.

"How should I know why I don't have a name?" One hand reached up and pinched his nose.

Nixi stared at him for a few minutes. "It must not be nice not having a name." There was another moment of silence, and then she spoke up again. "I know. I'll give you a name. I'll call you Chase."

"Excuse me?" The male's voice tensed up suddenly.

"I'm chasing after the secret of male Faeries, so Chase will do, right?" The small Ixi smiled up at the male.

"You need to leave you know." The newly named male let out a deep sigh, glancing up at the window in a worried fashion.

However, Nixi began to rumage through her bag, and then pulled out a package. "I hope they didn't get smashed."

"You do realize I am a stranger, right?" Chase folded his arms across his chest.

"You are in the library, in a place you don't belong yet you act like you belong. I think I can trust you." The pink Ixi smiled suddenly as she opend the box. "They aren't smashed."

"That logic doesn't work!" The male covered his eyes with one of his hands.

"Something about you feels safe. I can't place it, but it feels familiar." The small Ixi suddenly held up the box. "Do you want one?"

At that, Chase's mouth suddenly dropped open and he stared at her. "While those look good..."

"Do you want one?" The Ixi asked again, a smile spreading on her face.

"If I eat _one_ , then will you leave before you get in trouble." The boy muttered, heading over to a small table, frowning as he did so. He sat down and she pushed the cupcake in front of him and he picked it u warily. However, after taking a bite, he found himself enjoying the treat.

"Do you have any idea where I can begin looking for information on..." Nixi found herself quickly interupted.

Chase held out a hand. "I've never seen a book that has had information on that subject. It isn't a subject that you are going to be able to easily find either. I've read a few things about the outside world, but I honestly know _nothing_ about the outside world."

"That's weird." Nixi piped up, frowning at him. "Haven't you ever been outside before?"

"I went outside today." The male frowned at her, taking another bite, eating slowly despite the fact that he knew he should be kicking her out. He felt lonely for some sort of company other then the Library Faerie.

"Really?" The small Ixi smiled at him.

At that, Chase let out a sigh and leaned on his arm. "Actually, that is the only time I remember going out and I snuck out the window after someone broke it to return the ball. I don't remember how I came to be living here."

At that, the female Neopet frowned. "That is weird." The male feowned, thinking that she was going somewhere with what she was talking about, but instead, she took his picture as she sat across him.

"You shouldn't talk to strangers." The male let out a sigh, closing his eyes. "Promise me you won't talk to any more strangers."

"You're talking to one now." The Ixi stated, smiling at him.

"I'm older then you! You also are trespassing, need I remind you." He then turned his head to the side. "Plus... that's always what I've been told, never to talk with people you don't know."

"Then how do you meet new people?" Nixi sighed, causing Chase to think for a little bit.


	6. Darkness

The sunlight shown down upon the heads of the Neopets, humans and Faerie who happened to be walking around the main streets of Faerie Land. In one alley way, a figure pulled the dark clock further onto her shoulders, to keep the sunlight from getting in her eyes. She glared at the happy Neopets moving around in the street.

As a Dark Faire, Yova had a high dislike for anything that was cute and sweet. Kindness went against everything that her mentor had taught her. The reasons Dark Faeries had their powers was because darkness was a sign of evil. Goodness was something that was immediately visible, something that was created from happiness.

Her violet eyes glared out at the street, wishing that the night time would come sooner, as it meant that her powers would be stronger. Even the alley way was filled with an amount of light that made it so that she didn't come across as scary and fearful. Letting out a deep sigh, she turned in the opposite direction and headed in the direction of the library, hoping to get into good mischief there.

To get there, she had to move from the slight shadows, to the sunlight, which irritated her to no end. Nothing perked her interest, so she walked to the side, where she noticed the gate that led into a side area, where human was supposed to go. Letting out a deep breath, she stepped into the area, finding that while there was a great deal of light, there was a fare amount of shade.

Climbing up into a tree, she watched as various Neopets passed by the spot. She couldn't help but notice a group of young ones, attempting to pass by with their ball. A thought came to her mind as she glanced at the glass windows on the building. Noting how conveniently low to the ground they were, she held out her palm, and blew on it towards one of the Neopets.

" _This place would make a great place to play._ " The yellow Aisha spoke up suddenly to the others, saying the exact words that she wanted the Neopet to say. Yova grinned as she watched the group of Neopets step into the sunny area and begin playing with the ball. Patiently, she waited until their was a resounding crashing sound as the ball went through the pain of glass.

At that, she began to laugh as the Neopets began to argue about the person who would fetch the ball. Of course, she laughed lightly so that no one would hear her, but her amusement was great. Everything simply fed to her amusement. That said, she didn't expect to hear certain words that she did in fact end up hearing.

"What is a human doing in a restricted area that is supposed to be Neopets and Faerie only?" At that, she found herself creeping through the branches, so that she could get a good enough view of what was going on. Narrowing her eyes, she saw very well that there was a male humanoid there, in a place that humans should have been.

"I believe that this is the library area, and only certain people are aloud on the grounds." The male stated, holding out the ball and giving it back to the Neopets. "Your ball? If you don't tell, I won't."

Looking at the _human_ , as the Neopets took off with her ball, she found her interest perked. The male's hair was a dark black and his eyes were a bright blue. The boy was simply dressed and physically looked to be around her age, if he was a Faerie. But there was no way that the person could be a Faerie, as there was no such thing as males.

She watched as he climbed back into the library, her face contorted in frustration. At that, she turned and headed back to the social group that she hung out with, irritation at the fact that the Library Faerie, who was known for being powerless, happened to be hiding something. She headed back to the place that the group she associated herself with hung out.

"How did it go?" One of the older females laughed at her. "Wait... you tend to stay close to Faerie Land due to the fact that you don't go far from home. Maybe if you took a few days off from school Yova, you would be able to have some success at actually having a bit of success at _chilling_ those you pray on. All you can do is minor pranks."

"I was over at the Library today." The small female stated, her tone dark.

"Oh, I imagine you did something amazing. You know, because we would have heard a major prank on the Library in the news. For sure." Another of the older females laughed. Both females were still in school.

"Well, I found out that the Library Faerie is hiding something." Yova stated, watching the other two, a smirk on her face.

"Like what?" The first two raised her eyebrows, cutting the small female's words.

"She is harboring a human. A male human. I saw him today, outside." The younger female smirked, quite pleased with what she had done.

"Wait... what did you say?" At that, an older female, one of the ones that they considered an adult in their world stepped forward, while the other two chuckled.

"I said, the Library Faerie is harboring a male human." Yova stated.

" _What_ did this human look like?" The female asked, while a few of the other adults stepped forward. Yova described what the male looked like, and the older female suddenly smirked. "There is only one reason why the Library Faerie would hide something. She is way too loyal to the Queen to do something she's not supposed to."

At that, the adults walked away, leaving the younger ones who were still being schooled by themselves. The first one spoke up. "Wait... there is no way that a human would be... you saw things, didn't you?"

"I didn't see things." Yova snapped her words out. "For once, the head is actually pleased with my results.

"Yes... but why?" The second shook her head, not at all pleased. "You're better of with your family group you know."

At that, the youngest found herself hissing with displeasure at the other two.


	7. Upturned

Chase found himself pondering Nixi's words about meeting new people. " _I don't understand why it is important to meet new people._ " The male leaned onto his elbow and narrowed his eyes. "What is so important about meeting new people?"

The pink Ixi blinked a couple of times. Confusion spread on her face as she thought about his question. "But isn't it important?"

"I wouldn't know. The only people I've met are you and the Library Faerie." The dark haired male finished the cupcake and then licked his fingers.

"But don't you want to meet new people? Don't you want to see the outside world?" Nixi frowned at him, confused as to why anyone would want to keep themselves holed up in this place.

"I've honestly never given it much thought." The boy stood up and walked over to a cart with books on it and began to put the books away. The click of hooves followed after him and he found himself looking down at her. "Shouldn't you be leaving?"

"I've always hated being alone. I wanted to be adopted for such a long time." The Ixi stayed despite what Chase had told her.

"If the Library Faerie catches you down here, we'll both be in trouble." The boy glanced down at her, frowning as he did so.

"Why?" Nixi spoke up, curiosity feeling her young eyes.

"Why is a good question." Upon hearing the older female voice, both of the young ones turned their heads towards her. "No one is supposed to know that he's here."

"Why not?" The pink Ixi continued to smile, while Chase reached up and scratched his head.

The boy opened his mouth to say something, but the Library Faerie spoke up first. "I don't need to answer this question." Glancing up, she looked straight towards the broken window, which the light was sliding down, finally to disappear. "Is that how she got in?"

The boy glanced at the ground, not moving or saying anything. A silence reigned through the basement while the Library Faerie crossed her arms across her chest, looking at the two with a stern gaze. However, the silence was broken when a loud booming sound was heard from above. As the noise came, a sudden shattering of glass came raining down upon their heads.

The female Faerie moved to cover the two, then glanced up with a worried look in her face. "This way."

"But..." Chase glanced upstairs, where he could hear a loud noise coming from.

"Come. Both of you." The female led the two over the to wall, and then traced a seal, muttering certain words as she did so. Suddenly, a door opened up and she shoved them inside. "Stay here. No, follow the path until its end."

"But what about you?" Chase frowned at the woman, and the Ixi nodded her head in agreement. However, the door moved shut, leaving them in the room in pitch blackness.

"How can we follow the path when there is no way to light our way." Nixi spoke up, her voice sounding upset about the whole thing. However, the question was answered when torches suddenly lit up the area. Around them were more shelves of books. Two bright eyes glanced up. "Maybe this is where they keep the books on the male Faerie?"

A loud booming sound was heard, and the place shook. The dark haired male scooped her up onto his back. "We don't have time for this. We have to get out of here."

"What about the Library Faerie?" The Ixi stated, looking back at the door with worry.

"I don't know how to get back out through that door." Chase glanced at the path, which went through some more shelves of books. He began to walk, with the pink Ixi on his back, until they came to a spot where the shelves stopped. There was a long tunnel leading to who knew where. Slowly though, he stepped forward.

"I was supposed to be back at the orphanage before night fell." Nixi commented as they continued along. Her head rested upon Chase's shoulder.

"Why?" The boy stated, continuing as he walked.

"Rose Madder is going to be worried about me." The Ixi stated, her voice sounding tired.

"Isn't her being worried justified though?"The boy continued along, the path becoming rough as if it hadn't been up kept.

"I thought Faerie Land was built in the clouds." The Nixi stated, confusion on her face.

"Faerieland has solid features to the buildings, that the clouds surround." The boy frowned suddenly. "I've always worried about what would happen if the magic clouds were to give out and we were to go plummeting to the ground. They walked along, the wood creaking under their steps.

Suddenly, the two heard a rumbling sound coming from behind them. Glancing back, Chase and Nixi's eyes widened as the saw the floor behind them suddenly falling out. At that, Chase suddenly took off, hurrying as fast as he could down the wooden tunnel.

"Why is the tunnel collapsing?" The Ixi's eyes suddenly widened in fright.

"It is either to prevent us from being followed, or it is to stop people from getting to the end destination." The male's voice came hard, as he found running to be a hard to do when one wasn't used to such a thing.

Eventually though, they came to a place with a door and Chase reached for the handle and turned it. As the door clicked open, Chase found himself stepping out into air, and then falling with Nixi still on his back. His eyes picked upthe strange colored stone as he fell, and the ground rushing towards him, the air leaving his lungs.


	8. Angry Eyes

The door handle under Chase's hand felt cold as he twisted the metal object in order to open the door. The light was different from inside the tunnel and his depth perception was off, not to mention the fact he wasn't expecting a door to open up to a place that had no floor. He felt his body tip forward just as Nixi crashed into his back. His mouth opened in surprise while his blue eyes turned down to the ground.

This caused him to suddenly see a strange colored stone floor far beneath him that was obviously rushing towards him just as the air left his lungs. His body hit the ground, a sudden pain wrenching through his right shoulder while Nixi landed painfully on his back before rolling off. The small Ixi spoke up. "I'm all right. I'm all right. Chase?"

The young male rolled to the side that didn't involve his injured arm while his eyes blinked a couple of times. He glanced up, his stomach flinching as he did. The door that he had come through had disappeared and he found himself looking up at a glass ceiling. Normally there would be stars or sunlight streaming forth, but everything was blocked by dark clouds. His eyes snapped shut.

"Chase?" Nixi's words caused him to open up his eyes, his mouth opening and closing. The place they were in was well lit, likely lit by good magic. The boy forced himself to sit up, only to let out a sound as he realized how hurt he was. On top of the left shoulder hurting, he had also hit his hip as well as his head. "Are you all right?"

"No... where are we?" A hand clamped over his eyes, the pain getting the better of him.

"I don't know." Chase peeked through his eyes, only to find himself flinching, his stomach flinching again. He found himself leaning over, the contents of his stomach hitting the floor as he did so. His right arm wrapped around his stomach while his right leg came up. Nixi touched his right side. "Should I go and get help?"

"I don't..." The sound of footsteps coming down one of the halls came to his ears and he glanced up despite the pain. "Hide! Don't show yourself no matter what!"

"But!"

"Hide!" Chase hissed the words out and she scurried behind the statue of a Faerie. The boy then glanced down.

An unfamiliar voice came to his ears. "What the hell is a human doing in the Faerie Academy! The alarms should go off if anyone other then a Faerie or a Neopet unaccompanied by a Neopet passes through the boundaries of the school!" A hand reached down to grab the front of his clothing and attempted to pull him up. "Who are..."

"Stop... please." Before Chase could see the persons face he found himself blacking out completely. The boy's conscious remained fuzzy, but eventually he could hear a couple of voices speaking. "It's the last day of school for the year and we find out that a stupid human boy broke into the school. Seriously... what a brat."

"Come on Charil... the teachers haven't kicked him out yet."

"Naw, Rhene, she's right. He doesn't belong here. They should have kicked him out already, but the only reason they didn't is because he's injured. Serves him right for breaking into here." The comment caused Chase to open his eyes, a frown spreading across his face as he took in the fact three females were glaring at him, all of them light fairies.

At first he choked up, only to find himself blinked a couple of times, the words coming out of his mouth without thinking. "I know you three."

"Excuse me?" Charil's eyes narrowed. Chase's mouth snapped shut, only to find himself painfully yanked up. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Nixi was hiding behind a curtain unnoticed. "What did you mean by you know who we are? We've never met." The girl then let go of his shirt, causing him to drop back to the bed. "Now I have to wash my hand. Human males are filth."

"Leave him alone!" Nixi spoke up, causing the three females to suddenly turn to see the small pink Ixi glaring at them,

"How did she get in here?" Ameril shook her head.

Charil though stood up, placing her hands on her hips. "What are you going to do about it?"

The small Ixi shook. Chase opened his mouth to say something, only for the door to open and a Faerie dressed in battle gear come through, followed by an older Faerie covered in green and a younger one who was obviously of the fire alignment. "Oh come on? You three are wanting to pick on someone who is powerless against you? The three of you are going to one day regret that action."

"It's not as if..."

The one named Ameril grabbed Charil's arm. "She's a teacher, not to mention she's the Battle Faerie! Let's get out of here."

Chase attempted to sit up again. As the three Light Faeries left the room, he saw the look that each one gave him. He felt himself swallow, before closing his eyes. The Earth Faerie spoke to the fire Faerie. "Thank you for carrying this for me. You can leave now."

"The Library Faerie..."

"Drink the potion first." The Earth Faerie spoke up, placing it to the boy's lips.

"Illusen, shouldn't you forewarn him that..." The boy felt the potion touch his tongue and Chase tried to move, only to find himself suddenly held down by the Battle Faerie. "I told you. Forewarn him that the potion tastes nasty."

"It will heal him up nicely though. A couple of hours and he can go and see Fyora along with his friend here."

The Battle Faerie let out a deep sigh. She folded her arms as she looked at the Ixi. "She came with you from the library, did she not? Why was she even there."

Chase flopped onto the bed. "What of it?"

"Excuse me?" Illusen spoke up. "Shouldn't you be politer to your elders?"

"One of those elders tried shoving poison down my throat."

"Poison? I'm not a Dark Faerie you know."

"Plus. I'm human, not Faerie." Silence fell over the room while Chase looked at the wall. "The Library Faerie?"

"She's not dead, but..." The Battle Faerie paused, turning to look at Illusen.

"She's in a comma."

Chase said up, letting out a sharp sound of agitation as the pain got the better of him. "A comma? Can't your magic do anything? I mean, these injuries of mine would take more then two hours to heal normally. So you should be able to heal her, right?"

"Healing injuries caused by magic are different then healing injuries caused naturally. Even when it comes to naturally healing injuries to much use of magic to heal rather then natural means can have side effects, not to mention even magical means has negative side effects." Illusen spoke up.

"Which you should have told him about before making him take the medicine."

"Fyora wants him healed up as soon as possible and felt it would be a good lessen for him."

"What do you..." It was then that Chase was hit by a wave of pain as his body began to mend itself, causing him to flop back onto the bed."

Illusen pulled the sheets back over him. "You'll be out for a bit little one." As he blacked out again, he heard her say something else. "Now... what about this little one?"


	9. Shadows of Flames

The two Dark Faeries glared at Yova, wishing that the younger female would get a clue that they wanted her to go away. "You're better off with your family group you know."

The female simply glared back, her arms crossed across her chest. "I know that you and Hitia are up to something. What are the two of you up to?"

"What Rheva and I are up to is none of your business. What we need to take care of needs to be taken care of. Now scram." The two females then turned, heading away and disappearing into the shadows. They walked along until they got to the library, their arms crossed as they looked up at the building.

"So... what do you think the Library Faerie is up too?" Rheva narrowed her eyes.

"We know she's hiding a human in an area that human's aren't allowed. It is utter blasphemy."

"Well, I think we need to punish blasphemy." The Dark Faerie stepped forward to knock on the door. "Why isn't she answering?"

The other female swirled her finger around in the air, a black ball forming. She then sent it flying in through the store front glass. The two then stepped through the window. Hitia frowned. "How boring. She isn't up here. She must be with the human, so we should do something to draw her out. Or should we go looking for her?"

The other Dark Faerie looked around, frowning as she did so. "Really..." Her nose wrinkled up, the corner of her mouth scowling as she did so. "Seriously... let's just burn the place down, no care as to who lives or dies. Her blasphemy is that great."

The two held up their hands, palms facing each other and muttered a spell. The spell went flying at the counter, causing the place to burst into flames. Unlike the regular fire spells that Fire Faeries used, the fire was dark and blue, but not a cold blue either. They began to spread and lick the wall. The Library Faerie hurried through the door.

"What are you two doing!"

"We know you're harboring a human."

"So... we've decided to punish you as well as the human."

"The one you are likely referring to is away from here. Even then, I won't let you harm him."

"As if you have any spells that can help you out."

"Everyone knows that the Library Faerie only ever studied."

"Contrary to the belief, there is one spell I know that I can use against you." The female held out her hands pointing at one of the Faeries. "I need books that are about the library to go stack over there."

A few books suddenly lifted up and flew over at the two Dark Faeries. While one managed to duck, the other found herself hit square in the face. She stood up, the tone of her voice thickening from anger. "Rheva... let's kill her."

"Nah... I'd rather curse her." The one Faerie turned towards her partner, holding out her hands while the other stood up. They pressed the palms together and chanted something before swinging them back towards the Library Faerie. The blow knocked her back into the wall and the two turned to leave. The corner of Rheva's mouth twisted up. "Let's go before we attract too much more attention. The smoke is rather obvious."

The two headed out, getting two blocks away when Yova stepped forward. "What have you two done? And why couldn't I join in the fun?"

Hitia waved her hand. "All we were doing was making sure that the Library Faerie payed for her transaction against Faerie kind. When she wakes up, she won't ever want to have anything to do with that Human again."

"Still... why couldn't I have joined in?"

"Because you would have messed it up of course." Rheva snapped at the younger Faerie.

Yova crossed her arms, before taking one arm and pointing a finger at Hitia. "And she didn't? Her nose is obviously bruised from something hitting her in the face.'

"That's beside the point foolish child. We need to figure out where the human got too. Apparently there is an underground area for him to get away."

"And how would you know that? And I'm not a child! I'm not much younger then you."

"Because... she wouldn't have let her charge die in the fire." Rheva stated. "And I'll call you child if I want too."

"I'm a whole lot more useful then Hitia. The only reason you drag her around with you is because she's your twin and the two of you have a power boost because of this."

The older of the two twins turned and threw a spell at the female, intentionally missing her head by a few inches. "Don't ever talk about my sister in that manner. Also, if you breath a word of this to anyone, you are dead."

The two then turned and left, while Yova turned to look at the smoke billowing up from the building. She spun on her heals, heading home so that she could get some sleep before her finals tomorrow. Her arms were crossed and her mouth twisted into a scowl. The next morning she was up, her irritation growing due to her disliking the sunlight that streamed out.

"Sheesh... if it weren't for finals I would skip today all together." The female began her walk to school, her arms folded across her chest. She walked through the doors of the junior high section of the building, her pointed ear twitching upon hearing the gossip from three Faeries, two of the water element and one of the earth.

"I can't believe that a human managed to break into the building! I heard he's in the infirmary because of some sort of injuries."

"Do you think it has anything to do with the fire at the library? I heard that the Library Faerie is ill."

"I heard that the boy did it. Ungrateful human."

Yova simply rolled her eyes, heading to her first class. As she was on her way to the second class she found herself passing by the infirmary, having finished her test early. The door opened and the young man she had seen yesterday stepped out with a map of some kind. She narrowed her eyes, wondering why he was talking to the Battle Faerie.

The boy then turned and headed in a particular direction, a hornless pink Ixi following on her heals. If she was in a better mood, she would have laughed at such a site, but instead found herself gritting her teeth.


	10. Stepping Forward

As Chase began to come too, he found himself asking whether it was possible to have a feeling of numbness run through your entire body and yet still feel pain. His eyes blinked a couple of times before sitting up, just in time to see the Battle Faerie sitting there with her arms and legs crossed. His entire body was covered in sweat. "Are you feeling better?'

"Yes... what is going on? I mean..." The boy's eyes closed before he let out a deep breath. "I mean, I know something happened to the Library, but... where am I? A school I'm assuming?"

"You're at the Faerie Academy. It's part of the castle actually, but its off to the side and most people don't know about it." The female smiled at him, causing him to glance away nervously, just in time to see Nixi lying next to him, snoring softly.

"We're both in trouble, aren't we?"

"Why don't the two of you go and see Fyora before you come to the conclusion that you're in trouble. She's the one making that decision." She stood up while Chase nudged Nixi away. The two followed her out of the infirmary, where she handed him a piece of paper. "This is written instructions on how to get to the Queens court. She is expecting you. Well, she's expecting you and not the Ixi, but you should still take her with you. In the mean time, I have to catch up with my first test. I left an older student in charge."

The boy let out a sigh and began walking down the hallway. The place was circular, surrounding a circular courtyard in the middle Chase found himself swallowing, the feeling that someone was following him not going away. Despite this, he didn't look up from the paper, causing him to suddenly crash into a person. This caused him to glance up, stammering as he did so. "I'm sorry."

"You!"

Chase blinked a couple of times, realizing that the person he had bumped into was one of the light Faeries from earlier, the words still coming out of his mouth as a stammer. "You're Ameril."

The female blinked a couple of times, her arms crossing her chest. " _How_ do you know _my_ name. I remember clearly that no one spoke my name in your presence."

"Faerie names..." The boy glanced at the ground, only to find himself being backed towards the railing. "Please..."

"Stop being mean to Chase! You bully!"

"Excuse me?" Ameril glanced down, causing Nixi to duck behind Chase's leg. She then turned her focus back onto the male. She pocked her finger into his chest. " _How_ do you know my name? You said earlier you knew who we were. _How?_ "

"I..." The boy froze, his eyes looking right into the female's golden eyes. His cheeks began to flush up.

The Light Faerie grabbed the front of his clothes. "How!"

A sudden cracking sound could be heard and the next thing Chase knew he and Ixi were falling towards the court below. The boy felt his chest contract as well as his muscles tense. His eyes closed in preparation for crashing into the ground again, but it never came. Instead, a warm feeling came over him and he slowly felt himself being lowered to the ground.

"Ameril!" The sound of the Battle Faerie could be heard, as well as the clinking sound of weapons touching the ground in the middle of the court yard. "What happened? Are you out of your mind!"

"It's not as if I let them get hurt!" The Light Faerie snapped. "I didn't expect the railing to break, not to mention I did cast a spell so they would land safely."

The Battle Faerie pinched her nose. "Boy... are you all right, you and your friend?" There was silence and she opened her eyes to look right at him. "Boy?" Chase felt his breath come in a sharp manner as he attempted to calm down. He then felt himself lick is lips. The adult Faerie's fingers touched her forehead. She then glanced up, looking at the railing with a frown.

"Ameril... I am going to write you a note. I want you to make sure that he gets to Fyora with that Ixi friend of his. Stay with him until he's called into her court. The letter is for her guards, though they are expecting him."

"But... my tests!" The Light Faerie shook her head.

"You shouldn't have been bothering him like you were."

"He's a _human_. He's not even _supposed_ to be here!"

"Ameril!"

The light Faerie let out a sigh, before grabbing onto Chase's arm and pulling him after her. He willingly followed after her, not responding. The Ixi though glared at her, causing her to turn and look at the small female. "What?"

"You're mean."

"Don't go there, particularly since you honestly don't know me." They arrived at the front of the doors and she handed the letter to the male Neopet Gaurds. She then sat down on a bench, pulling the boy after her. "Seriously... aren't you going to say anything to me, like what you're guys names are?"

"His name is Chase, mine is Ixi." The hornless pink Ixi climbed up beside her.

"Yes... and that helps me how. I'm also missing my tests for this."

"Faerie names..."

Ameril let out a sigh as she rested her chin on the palm of her hand. "Yeah... I asked you how you knew my name, but you never answered me. Don't bother about it."

"No... you were looking for a book about Faerie Names." Chase's head hung down so that he couldn't see her.

The female glanced up, noticing that his stammer was gone. "I didn't see you when I was at the book shop."

"That's because I was in the back like I always am."

"What do you mean by that?" Ameril asked, only to have the young male raise his hands up to grip the sides of his head in frustration. "So you do have something to do with the Library Faerie like everyone says. You didn't cause the fire at the Library."

"No... she stuck us into the passage way before it started." Nixi spoke up.

The Light Faerie let out another sigh, just as the guards came. She found herself looking out at the glass windows, noting that quite a bit of time had passed and she had missed a good deal of her tests for today. "Well... I guess I'll be going now."

"Actually, Queen Fyora would like to speak with you as well."


	11. Meeting the Queen

"Actually, Queen Fyora would like to speak with you as well." Upon hearing these words from the guards Ameril felt her throat tighten before tightening her hands into fists at her side. The Light Faerie looked over at the boy and watched him stand up, his head hanging low. Turning to look in the other direction she saw the hornless Ixi become excited about getting to meet the queen. This caused Ameril to let out a sigh before heading in with the two.

The Queen simply sat on her throne, leaning on one hand watching the three who were brought before her. She remained silent for a good period of time, causing Ameril to fidget. Again she looked at Nixi and Chase, finding that the hornless Ixi was overly excited about being able to meet the Queen while the boy was rather distant.

Fyora then spoke up. "Boy? Can you look me in the face?"

"His name is Chase!" Nixi raised her hoof into the air, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"Hm... all right. Chase, can you look me in the face?" The queen watched as Chase didn't respond.

Ameril found herself elbowing him. "Hey... she's speaking to you and asking you to look her in the face."

This caused the boy to look up, a frown on his face. The queen frowned. "I heard that you and the little Ixi managed to escape through the library passage."

"I'm sorry." The words stammered out.

"For what I might ask?"

"I don't know. Being a human I guess?"

"A human..." Fyora frowned, shaking her head as she did so. She then turned to Nixi. "Say... why were you at the Library?"

"I wanted to find information on male Faeries!"

Ameril startled, then turned to glare at the Ixi. "Say what! There is no such thing as male Faeries! There are only female."

"Then how are Faerie babies made."

"We just come into existence you moron!'

"Hm... now is that true?" Fyora spoke up, leaning on her one arm.

Ameril glanced around in panic, noticing that the two guards on the inside were giggling. Chase on the other hand had perked up slightly while Nixi bounced up and down with excitement. The boy spoke up. "Surely there would have been something in the library."

"See... no..." Ameril started to say, only to be interrupted by the Queen.

"How could you have read all the books there?"

"I... maybe not..."

The Light Faerie frowned, watching the Queen carefully. The woman leaned forward, a smirk on her face. "Chase... you don't have anywhere to go now that the library has been destroyed, do you?" The boy looked at the ground, his foot rubbing into the ground as he fidgeted suddenly. "Perhaps an adventure would do you some good. How about you, Ameril and your Ixi friend go in search of these Boy Faeries?"

"Say what!" Ameril found herself looking at the ground. "I know you're the Queen, but what have I done to warrant being sent on such a humiliating quest? I mean, we're going to never find a male family."

"Sometimes the point of quest is not to discover what you're looking for, but to discover something in yourself." The Queen stated. "You also know my decision is final. You have until you find a male Faerie or school starts."

The Light Faerie gritted her teeth, before grabbing Chase's sleeve and pulling him out. Nixi found herself bouncing up and down. "Yay! I get two people helping me on my school project!"

Ameril paused where she was outside, some distance away from the guards. "Excuse me?"

"I decided to prove that they existed for my school project."

"What ever the hell for!"

"Because... they keep telling me that hornless Ixi's don't exist, so if I can prove that boy Faeries exist I can prove I exist."

"That's..." Ameril found herself looking away. "I guess I can see where you're coming from, but I can see right in front of my eyes that a hornless Ixi exists. I've never seen a male Faerie before. So it is kind of different. What about Chase?"

"What do you mean what about him?" Nixi paused in her bouncing step.

"What does he get out of this? Shouldn't he be sent home to the world of the humans because he's obviously broken the rules and not allowed to come back?"

"What's in this for Chase as you call him? I don't think at this point that is any of your business." The Battle Faerie touched the boy's shoulder. "Go home and pack Ameril. Classes are over. Meet me in front of the building by the healing springs tomorrow morning sharp. I have some things to do."

"What about my tests?"

"Don't worry. You'll be able to get into the High School level. Worry more about your quest as that is far more important Ameril."

The Light Faerie shook her head, turning on her heals to head home. As she left, she found herself bumping into her two friends. Rhene fiddled with her fingers. "What bad luck you've had Ameril."

"Bad luck? She's going to need a shower before I let her near me. Rumor has it that you've been assigned to babysit the human and that freak Ixi in their search for... get this... male Faeries." Charil laughed.

"I guess I won't tell you how he happens to know who we were." Ameril started to walk away, the corners of her mouth twisted down and her arms folded.

"Wait... how did he know?"

"Apparently your Aunt's been taking care of him in the library. Anyways... I'll see you later. I have to go and prepare for my journey." On the way home, Ameril felt as if everyone was staring at her and she looked at her phone, looking through the Neo Net. Letting out a deep sigh of relief at the fact the information had only spread through the main cliques so far, she found herself turning the knob of the home door.

"Where were you?" A female Faerie shorter then Ameril crossed her arms across her chest. "I heard you skipped your finals. Momma is going to be mad at you."

"Shut up Arie Qualia. I missed my finals because I've been assigned a quest instead."

"Yeah right. You don't get assigned to quests until your senior year unless you're considered to be gifted." The Water Faerie moved forward. "Come on Ameril... you're lying."

"No... I'm not. And if you tattle to mom about this you'll be in trouble because I haven't done anything wrong."Ameril narrowed her eyes at her sister. "By the way... where is mother."

"She's gone on a trip for a week. She was assigned to a particular job. But I will tell when she gets home."

"Seriously... I haven't done anything wrong and I have been assigned a quest. Not that I actually _like_ the quest."

"Are you sure that you're not having to go on the quest to make up for skipping out on your tests Ameril?"

"As if I'd want to go on this lousy quest! I'm stuck going on it because I bumped into the wrong person at the wrong time at school! Now go back to your elementary school education stuff Arie!" The Light Faerie stormed up the stairs, tossing things into her bag.


	12. Trepidation of Steps

Chase followed the Battle Faerie without saying a word. He found himself looking down at the ground, wishing that he didn't have to socialize with the woman as it was causing him to feel uncomfortable. A hoof took his hand and his eyes widened at the site of the hornless pink Ixi grabbing his hand. He opened his mouth to call Niki's name but snapped it shut as his head jolted to the front. "You excited about helping me with my school project?"

"No... " The comment caused an evident flinch in the Neopets body. "It's not that I'm not interested. Normally I honestly would be, but..."

"Ah... sorry. I forgot that the person you considered to be your mother happened to get hurt. You're worried about her."

Chase didn't respond but simply kept following the Battle Farie until they got to the healing springs. The three then headed into the building and he found himself led to the room where she was sleeping. He sat on the chair, his hand still gripped by NIxi's small hoof while he looked at the ceiling. He didn't say anything and after a few minutes closed his eyes.

His attention was brought back to the room and the fact his foster mother was lying in a comma in front of him when NIxi climbed into his lap. The hand that had been holding onto hers reached up and rubbed the top of her head. "I guess you know what its like not knowing who your parents are?"

He found himself frowning. " _She's right. I don't know who my parents are. Actually, its more then that. It's honestly as if I have Amnesia, as I have no real recollection of how I came to be in the Library Fairies care in the first place. I was just... there._ "

The pink furred Niki spoke again. "Maybe you'll be able to find your answers as we journey?"

"I don't want answers." The words came out of his mouth. " _No... I'm quite fine with the way things were. I wanted to continue living in peace and quiet, but someone decided to take that away._ "

"You don't want revenge either?"

Chase's eyes suddenly blinked before looking up at his foster mother's figure. "No..." He closed his eyes. " _That thought hadn't crossed my mind either. I just want her to get better. Revenge..._ " Taking a deep breath, he left it out in a manner that ruffled the fur on the top of her head. "Don't say that word in front of me again. It makes my stomach hurt."

"I see. You're trying to avoid talking, aren't you?"

"Yes. I don't like talking."

"Can I talk about myself?"

"Yes." He then listened as she prattled on and on about her likes and her dislikes, about how school was a pain because of the people who bullied her and how much she wanted a family.

"Sorry!" The pink Ixi's hooves clapped over her mouth. "That's not something you want to talk about."

A knock came on the door frame, causing the two to suddenly look at the door and see that the Battle Faerie was there with a couple of bag, a smile upon her face. "There is something I was able to rescue from your room."

Chase startled at this and opened up the bag that had been handed to him. His eyes widened up seeing it and his hand reached in to touch the soft object. "I'm surprised that it survived the fire."

"Quite a bit survived the fire. If that thing survived, then don't you think that maybe, just maybe she'll turn out fine?"

"That is an odd way of looking at it." The boy closed his eye's and leaned his head back in order to get some rest, letting the cool air of the hospital ward wash over him. Nixi on the other hand looked over at the library Faerie.

"I wonder if Rose Madder is worried about me. This will be the second night in a row she hasn't heard from me."

The Battle Faerie paused at this statement. "You mean the old Kau that runs the orphanage?"

"She told me to be back the night before."

The Battle Faerie let out a deep sigh before slipping out of the room, but not before she spoke some comforting words. "I'll be sure to let her know that you are all right. Get some rest, as the three of you have a long journey ahead of you."

Then came the silence that remained for a good portion of the time. Nixi broke the silence in her usual manner, tugging at Chase's shirt as she did so. "How do you feel about traveling with Ameril?"

"I don't want to have anything to do with her." The boy continued to lean his head back, his eye's closed.

"I don't want to have anything to do with her. She acts like those rich Neopets who always teased me about my horns at school."

"My issue with her is that she is prejudiced. Not as much as her friend, but she has a problem with me because I am human and wasn't afraid of causing me harm. Or you for that matter simply because you were with me." The boy thought about this for a few minutes. "Let's avoid Faeries all together. Ultimately they are trouble, particularly the Dark ones."

"There isn't any such thing as a good Dark Faerie?"

Chase's mouth opened, his jaw hanging for a few minutes. "No. I've never heard of a good Dark Faerie. I've heard stories where they tricked people into thinking they were good, so... in the long run you need to be extra cautious. If they are pretending to be good and your friend they are obviously up to something."

"Does the same apply to Ameril if she tries to be my friend?"

Again his mouth opened and then he shook his head. "That I don't have an answer for. Some Faeries are good... like the Library Faerie... and the Battle Faerie. The young ones though cause the most problems from what I've read."


	13. Phobia

The next morning Ameril grabbed her bag and changed into a form that made her look like a human before heading down the stairs only to see her little sister glaring at her. "All right. What is it?"

"You got in trouble." Arie spoke in a sing song tone.

The older Faerie rolled her eyes. "Seriously... I didn't get in trouble for skipping my tests. I was called away during test hours and thus missed out on taking them."

"Yeah right. The tests you're taking are the placement tests. I'm also telling..."

"... mom when she gets home. I don't understand why you keep ragging on me about all of this." Ameril rolled her eyes before grabbing her purse and heading out to see towards the healing springs. As the Battle Faerie said she met Ameril in front of the building.

"Let's go and get Chase and Nixi." The woman turned into the building as the doors whooshed open.

The Light Faerie frowned as she followed close on the other females heals. "I'm still not understanding why I need to go with him. It's not that important of a quest."

The Battle Faerie stopped causing Ameril to crash into her. "Look, sometimes its not the importance of the quest that matters but what you get out of it in the long run that is important."

The two continued walking past the nurses station and then into the room. The Library Faerie looked terrible, but the second thing that drew her attention was the fact Chase and Nixi were asleep in the rather uncomfortable chair that was up against the wall. The Battle Faerie went over to them and shook them awake, only for Chase's cold blue eyes to glare at Ameril.

"Look. I know that you don't like me, but could we at least get along?"

"It depends on you." The boy picked up his bag and swung it over his shoulder. He then paused. "Exactly what are we supposed to do first?"

Ameril startled at this statement. "I thought that you two would have already have figured that out as it is your guys Quest. I'm just along for the ride."

"This is the first time I've been _out_ of the Library."

"I'm in Elementary school!" Nixi raised a hoof into the air causing Ameril to stare at her before shaking her head and causing her blond hair to bounce.

"All right. The first thing we have to do is get down to the surface as Faerie Land is separated from the rest of Neopia." She crossed her arms.

Chase however turned pale. "Wait... does this mean we have to fly?"

"Of course."

"But can't we proceed with the Quest here? I mean, this is Faerie Land? Wouldn't our information be here?" The boy's voice strained.

"What are you talking about?" Ameril let out a deep sigh. "Are you so scared of leaving home that you're going to throw a tantrum?"

"That isn't it!"

"Let's just go." The blond Light Faerie turned to leave, only to pause upon realizing that the boy wasn't following her. Turning back while Nixi watched she tugged on his sleeve. "Come on already. I'm _not_ in a good mood. Do you want me to _do_ something to you?"

She watched as the young man worried at his bottom list only to suddenly comply. They began to walk towards the station that allowed them to travel from Faerie Land to Neopia Central as Chase looked anxiously around. Every so often she would tug on his sleeve again or remind him that she wasn't afraid to do something.

Upon arriving at the station he began to move from one foot to another nervously while Ameril payed for the tickets. He suddenly spoke up. "Why don't you look like a Faerie?"

The blond female narrowed her eyes before grabbing his arm and pulling him aside as soon as she finished buying the tickets. "Look, I don't need people knowing I'm traveling with a human."

"But everyone you know knows you're a Faerie?"

"Chase is right you know."

"By people knowing I'm traveling with a human I mean the humans. Actually, don't tell anyone that you a human are going on a quest. It's Neopets and Faeries who go on quests, not humans. The reason being we need to be able to send them back home where they belong. Honestly, I would like to know where you belong so I can send you back where you belong."

The boy stared at her, slightly startled at her response. His facial features hardened and he looked away, frowning as he did so. "What ever..."

"Now, we need to get onto the air tram."

"No."

Ameril felt her cheek twitch upon hearing this before grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the tram entrance. The dark haired youth however planted his feet. "Nixi! Help me! Otherwise you don't get to go on your quest."

Looking down Ameril could see Nixi thinking before she spoke. "Sorry Chase! But this Quest is ultra important."

"Not really..." The Light Faerie rolled her eyes as she spoke under her breath. Somehow they managed to get through the booth and onto the docking station. The tram was also there ready to board and she tugged him onto the vehicle. As she stepped through the door the tram suddenly swayed slightly, causing Chase's hands to grip the door tightly, his knuckles turning white. Ameril's frown deepened and she pulled harder.

Suddenly another person pushed Chase hard, causing him to topple backwards on top of her. He sat in her lap, practically shaking. Ameril pushed him off, glaring at him. The male person spoke up, their face covered by the hood. "Come on, don't get your little love spat cause problems with other people."

Ameril took a deep sigh of frustration. Chase looked at the ground, his voice barely audible. "What is a love spat? His words don't make any sense."

The female took a deep breath. "We're not dating."

She then tugged on Chase's sleeve, only to find him fighting her again. Taking a deep breath she slapped him across the face which caused him to be compliant enough to get into a seat. The rocking action of the vehicle caused him too suddenly place a hand on his mouth while Nixi climbed into his lap. "Look! We're moving."

Chase took a look out the window and Ameril watched as his blue eyes went wide. The next thing she knew he was pushing himself off of the seat and onto the floor. He pulled his legs to his chest and buried his head. The Light Faerie frowned. "What is wrong with him?"

The person who remained hooded tapped his fingers impatiently on the seat. "I believe your boyfriend is scared of heights. How did he ever get up here? I'm guessing that you didn't know that he was afraid of heights and that you started dating him because you two met in the ever so charming Faerie Land. Don't worry about it lass, but when you go home you'll likely never twist and twine meet again."

Ameril wished she could hex the person but held back as she didn't know if he was human or Neopet. They arrived and she found herself having to pull Chase off while the stranger took off. The task was painful and finally one of the guards simply lifted Chase up and threw him onto the bench. Chase then buried his head into his hands, his entire body shaking.

"Great... this is just the great way to start of an adventure. I'm going to be a laughing stock when I get back.


	14. Darkness II

Dark Faeries will do what Dark Faeries will. There is no thought about how they need to calm their feelings down or rationalize things through. That is, at least for the younger ones who happened to focus on appearing to be the baddest of the bad. So Yova had no problem with following the human and plotting something against him as she knew humans weren't supposed to be there.

She wasn't amused by the fact the Nixi was hornless due to her determination to make the human pay. She didn't find Ameril crashing into him amusing either though under normal circumstances she would be laughing her head off behind a pillar right about now. Particularly since the human knew her name. The reaction the boy had to Ameril losing it would have also been amusing had she not made up her mind about what she was going to do with him.

The human boy was leaning against the railing, causing Yova to smirk. She hung her left arm down and raised her right hand to her shoulder with two fingers sticking out. A small amount of shadow showed between the two fingers before she flung it at the railing causing it to suddenly break and the boy to fall over backwards.

The smile that was on her face disappeared when she realized that Ameril, the goody two shoes she was happened to dive forward to rescue the boy as he fell. There came a shouting from down below and Yova found herself quickly back peddling in order to not get caught. Her mood though was still dark, angry that the adults would allow a human into the school. She stormed off to her next class.

Rumor though came rather quick that Ameril had missed her other classes. "That serves her right, all thins considered... her rescuing that human and all. Should have just let my spell break the railing."

"So... you're the reason she got into trouble?"

"Nice really, but..." The Dark Faerie speaking paused, playing then with her pig tails. "What was a human doing in the school anyways?"

"I honestly don't know. I think it was the human that the Library Faerie was hiding." Yova leaned on her arm, wishing that the testing for the day would get over sooner. Leaving the school after testing she saw that Charil was in a bad mood and decided to pick on her some more. "I can't believe Ameril and that stuck up attitude of hers."

"Oh... what makes Ameril have more of a stuck up attitude then you Charil?" Yova felt the corner of her mouths twist up. While Dark Faeries kept the secrets of their own other Faeries didn't have such loyalty. Particularly when a Dark Faerie threatened them.

"She... uh..." The female gulped. "Apparently she is stuck going on a quest for male Faeries of all things and is having to babysit that human boy as well as that ugly as... well, that ugly Nixi. She says she didn't skip classes but was talking to Queen Fyora. She's lying through her teeth though. It's just a make up quest of no importance beyond helping that Nixi with her school work."

Yova pushed on by and headed outside. She swung a finger around activating a tracking ability. "That human kid touched one of my spells so I should be able to easily find him."

A puff of smoke went up and meandered off while Yova carefully followed it. After a couple of hours she found herself biting her lip, wondering why the spell wasn't working the way it should have.

" _Please tell me one of the adult Faeries didn't place a spell on him preventing me from tracking him. That would make sense as the Battle Faerie was likely aware that something happened. Why though didn't I get in trouble. If she suspected something she could easily have said something in regards to me having done something as they can easily track who did a spell. I mean, I'm that low level._ "

The sun set and she suddenly found herself frowning, only to jump upon hearing the Battle Faerie's voice. "So... what are you up too?" The female turned to look at the Battle Faerie, who was carrying her grocery bags. "Shouldn't you be heading home as it is curfew time?"

"Yes... well..."

"Why don't I escort you. You know... if I recollect Lady Tanua is very strict when it comes to her curfew for the younger Faeries."

"Lady Tanua..." Yova folded her arms across her chest.

"Do you disrespect her?" The Battle Faerie raised an eyebrow."

"No... I respect her. It's my mother I don't want finding out, not the house hold mother." Yova folded her arms across her chest. "I hate being a part of the Talihmar family."

"Then why not start your own family group, or go ask another? As I recollect many are vying to take young ones from Talihmar."

"I'm surprised you're even interested in Dark Faerie business."

"Honestly... someone needs to keep track of your politics to make sure nothing bad happens to the rest of us because of your plotting." The two arrived at the gate while Yova slipped into through the gate way, frustrated that she would have to hold off her search until the morning. Up she got in the morning, reactivating her trace spell hoping that it wouldn't fall through.

After some time she found herself sitting at the fountain, miffed that her tracking spell wasn't working. The sound of some middle school aged Faeries caught her attention.

"Arie... I can't believe your sister is going on a trip." A fire Faerie blinked a couple of times.

"She said that she would be going to Neopia with that boy." The water faerie popped open her soda, only to have it suddenly fuzz out. "Not funny you two."

"I think it is."

"It is that is."

"At least Yai and Yoi's pranks aren't like other Dark Faeries."

"Why did you even bring them along? You know I hate Dark Faeries."

"Today I am a Butterfly Faerie."

"And I'm a Flower Faerie."

"Kiwien is a Sun Faerie."

"And Arie is a Mermaid Faerie."

While Yova's eyebrow twitched the Fire Faerie suddenly spoke up. "But she already is a Mermaid Faerie."

Spinning around the statue she found herself glaring at the two twin Dark Faeries. The were slightly smaller then the other two and hadn't noticed her. The Water Faerie though had and moved to pull the Fire Faerie away. Each of Yova's hands reached out to grab the back of the two younger Dark Faeries heads and yanked them up. "What are you two doing?"

Upon receiving no answer and instead fearful looks she smashed the two girl's foreheads together. "Honestly, would you two knock it off. We're going back to the compound."

She grabbed each by the arm and proceeded to drag them back, muttering under her breath about her bad luck. She saw that Lady Tanua was speaking with her mother when she arrived. The two females shrunk behind her in fear. "Hello mother."

"Why are you dragging your sisters back like that?"

"They were pretending to be a butterfly and a flower today." Yova could feel her cheek twitch while Lady Tanua gave her leave.

"I've told you two those aren't the antics of a Dark Faerie. Now grounded you two be. To your room, I don't wish to see you two out of that room until school starts up again." The woman then turned to her daughter. "Lady Tanua came to me speaking of a human boy the Library Faerie's been keeping."

"About that... apparently he's gone to Neopia. I wish to follow."

"Do. Mind you, _don't_ do anything rash."

"I actually have permission."

"Yes..." The older Dark Faerie turned to leave. "Just don't disappoint me. There is enough of that as it is."

"Yes mother." Yova turned and headed to the place where their family personally took off from the clouds and spread her wings. When she landed she used her trace spell, only to find herself finding a cloaked figure. "You wouldn't happen to have seen a hornless Ixi about here."

The figure muttered something about how said didn't want anything to do with that lot, only to have Yova hold up her finger and cast a spell on the person, causing them to shrink. "Honestly, I don't have time for this."


	15. Frustration

Ameril stood watching the young man continue to shake, her mouth twisted up into a frown. Her arms crossed as she watched the pink, hornless Nixi continue to rub the boy's back. " _What a wimp."_

"Hey! That was mean." Nixi looked up at Ameril, a frown on her face.

" _I said that out loud when I shouldn't have."_ The Light Fairie looked away trying to pretend that she didn't know the two that were sitting there. The silence though got to her. "Well... he's the only person that I know of who happens to act in that manner when they ride the tram."

"It's not Chase's fault he is afraid of heights!" Nixi glared at the faerie.

Ameril looked away. " _I guess I have to be_ _nice_ _just to make things easier for me, though if it is around the wrong person my reputation can be ruined. I also don't need to be that nice._ " The female continued to look away. "Why don't we go get something to eat?"

"That sounds good!" The hornless Nixi suddenly became chipper in tone.

" _Wow. She is quick to bounce back. It is kind of annoying._ _Actually, if Arie were to be Neopet this is how I imagine her being._ " Ameril opened her mouth to say something. "So..." She stopped short to see that Chase had somehow managed to stop shaking and was looking right at her. The pallor of his face was quite green. Taking a deep breath she shrugged her shoulders. "All right, so you may not feel like eating right now, but it may make you feel better. We should discuss how we're going to start this quest of ours."

Chase's hands went down to his sides and he pushed himself up off the bench. "Fine. We'll go and get something to eat."

Ameril spun on her heals, pleased with the fact she had won her way. A voice in her head pestered at her. " _Did you really win. It seems more along the lines that he isn't trying to argue with you and doesn't really care._ " She swung her arms a couple of times and tried to keep her voice chipper. "So where do the two of you wish to eat?"

"Need I remind you that Nixi and I have no money."

" _I thought I made it clear that I was paying._ " Ameril's tone of voice tightened. "You do realize that I am paying, right."

"Which is why we should eat where you want to eat."

" _There are so many shops though._ "

"I've always wanted to try the Chocolate Factory. Everyone at school talks about it. They also talk about the bakery as well. Oh, and Huberts Hotdogs, and the Smoothy place. And there is also the pizza place."

Ameril felt the corner of her mouth twitch. " _She is annoying._ " The female turned towards the small female. "Haven't you ever been to any of these places?"

"I've been saving the allowance the pound gave me. It was a lot more expensive to take a trip up to Faerieland then I thought."

"The pound..." Ameril stopped short. " _How can she be so chipper."_ The female turned. "Ah... yes. You're from the pound."

"I've been waiting to be adopted, so it would be nice if Chase would adopt me."

"Say what?" The boy blinked a couple of times before looking away, frustration evident on his face. "I guess so."

"Then we'll go to the Pizzaroo as it is near by the pound. After we eat, we can go and get you adopted.. There are other things that we should do today." She stopped short as she felt shivers running down her back. She turned to look at Chase. "What?"

The boy was staring at her as if he were equally annoyed with her. "Why are you deciding where we go?"

"I'm not..." Ameril turned towards him, suddenly poking her finger into his chest. "Maybe if you actually took some initiative I wouldn't have to!"

"Why do I have the feeling your plans aren't going to involve completing our quest."

Ameril ignored him and walked into the pizza shop. "So... what do you want?"

"It all looks good." Nixi's eyes went wide.

" _She really doesn't get out much._ "

"Don't care."

"Well... I guess I'll order rgw Yummy Cloud Pizza."

"Say what?" Chase frowned. "Why did you have to go and order somethingas odd and expensive as that?"

Ameril's mouth twitched again. "Maybe because I can?" The female turned back to the person who was selling. " _Actually... I've been wanting to try it, but I honestly don't want to tell him of all people that._ " They eventually went and sat down at a table and Ameril and Nixi began to eat the pizza. "There are a lot of shops in Neopia Central."

It was Chase's mouth turn to twitch. "We're not here on a shopping trip. We're on a quest."

" _I admit I was hoping to hit all of the shops today, but I guess I could focus on ones that would help us on our trip."_ The female waved her hand and rolled her eyes. "Well, I think visiting all of the shops would have to wait until another time. This isn't to say we can't stop places and get items we need for the trip. We need to start by the pharmacy, as well as the general store. It wouldn't hurt to some battle magic items or some defense magictop by the money tree and the shop of offers. You're in desperate need of a wardrobe update."

"My clothes are just fine."

"And then there is the fact we do need to get a room at the lodge..." Ameril found herself interupted again.

"Wait... we're _sharing_ a room?" Chase looked at the table. "I'll find a place to sleep outside."

"Seriously! You wouldn't survive outside! And we'll get one with two beds, or two sets of rooms. I honestly haven't done this before. Then this evening we'll relax by going and seeing a movie."

"We have other things to do."

"Have either of you ever seen a movie?" Ameril watched as the boy looked away in order to avoid answering her. "Plus, Nixi's never been and this is a chance of a life time for her. Oh... and we should pick up a sicker book for you and Nixi. Doing certain things can get you stickers and you can bond with each other." She watched as Chase looked away. "Don't you want to bond with Nixi?"

"Yes... but in case you haven't noticed I am not really sociable."

"I see." The female faerie picked up a piece of pizza and placed it on his plate. "We're not leaving until you at least eat."


	16. Missing Ones

The sound of the ground being swept near the station caused no one to pay any mind as the Checkered Yurple continued to keep the streets of Neocentral clean. He knew everything that went on and watched as a human girl and a human boy came out with a hornless Ixi. A frown spread on his face as he had an idea who the young Ixi was and had to wonder why one of Rosemadder's charges was getting out of the station that early in the morning.

His thought process was distracted when a ball came hurtling at his head and he found himself glaring at a bunch of young Neopets who were enjoying their summer vacation too much. Picking up the trash he walked over to the pink Aisha, Bruce and Cybunny with a frown on his face. "Tell me now... which one of you girls threw this at me." He watched as they giggled at him. "If you think this is funny, it is not. Don't let me catch you around here again."

They took off and he let out a huff before turning his attention back to the sweeping of the streets, feeling as if he had happened to forget something important. Shaking his head he continued to work, minding his own business and trying to not let the fact the students were being obnoxious get to him again. He looked up and saw a cloaked figure also get off the station and simply shook his head. He did though notice the direction the person had headed.

Taking a deep breath he looked up at the sky in time to see a dark flash in the air coming from the same direction as the person had headed. Shaking his head he continued on until he finished and then headed in the same direction as it was his next area to clean. He stopped short upon seeing the cloak lying on the ground and shook his head that someone would in fact leave trash on the ground. It was then that the cloak moved.

Taking a deep breath he headed over to the cloak and the other clothing off of the person in question and found a Baby Gelert glaring at him. The Yurble narrowed his eyes at the young Gelert before scooping him up into his arms, only to find his finger bit. "Now, now. It is best that I take you to see Rosemadder as she takes care off all the strays."

This only caused the young Gelert to bark at him and for the Yurble to sigh. Before he headed over to her place he went and dropped the clothes items into his office to examine later. Upon arriving at the pound as everyone called it he placed the Gelert onto the table and waited for the Kau to come and see him. "Where did you find this young Gelert?"

"I found him."

"Look... this really isn't my day. One of my young Neopets has gone missing and I really need to find her. I don't know where she has gone. If you see a pink Ixi with no horns then..."

"I saw such an Ixi." The checkered Yurble suddenly forgot about the clothing as well as the Gelert that was still glaring at him. "She was with a young man and young lady. The young man had dark hair and coloring while the girl had light hair and coloring."

"That is very helpful." Rosemadder scooped up the small Gelert and handed him to another one of the Neopets in the pound. "I'm going to go and look for Nixi again. See to it that this little one is cared for properly. You're in charge." She then hurried out the door, pushing the Checkered Yurble gently out of the place and then closed the door, putting up the closed sign. "Which direction?"

"I don't rightly remember what we're talking about."

Rosemadder let out a sigh before taking off in hopes of finding the young Nixi. She arrived in front of the Pizzaroo and looked around, frowning as she did so. She then spotted the young Nixi coming out of the place with a young female with blond hair. She didn't notice the dark haired boy that was nearby, almost as if he was inclined to go into the shadows. "Nixi!"

The young Nixi looked up. "Rosemadder!"

"Nixi! I've been worried about you. I've even reported you missing."

The female who was with her frowned. "I guess we had better get this all straightened out at first."

"Yes. Thank you very much for saying that. Still, to disappear like that. I expected better of you then that as you are a very bright young Ixi."

"It's not her fault."

Rosemadder paused, then looked over to where the voice came from. "Who are you?"

"That's Chase. I met him at the Faerie Library."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything." She took a deep sigh upon seeing how the young man turned his eyes away from her. "Look... lets head back to the pound. I'll call the proper authorities to let them know you've been found as well. You're in a lot of trouble." The three headed back with her. The look on the boy's face was one of indifference, the girl looked quite happy and Nixi looked down in the dumps. Rosemadder motioned for them to sit on some chairs. After making the needed calls she spoke up. "Now... care to explain."

The young man who had spoken up saying it was his fault had maneuvered his bag onto his lap and was unzipping his bag in a nervous manner. The blond haired girl turned her head to look at him. "Chase... could you stop that?"

The boy then set his bag down, frowning as he did so. He stuck his hands into his pocket and looked away. The girl took a deep breath. "My name is Ameril Qualia. Queen Fyora's made a request that we go on a particular quest, so we'll be traveling with Nixi, if you don't mind."

"I do mind. I can't let her out of my care, particularly after what has happened. Even if you explained it, I can't let her out of my care on a quest unless there is a human who is her legal guardian." Rosemadder paused, looking at the girl. "You could adopt her."

"I can't." Ameril held up her finger and created a ball of light. "I'm actually a Light Faerie as you can see."

"Case could adopt me."

Silence fell over the room and Rosemadder looked at the boy, not at all sure she liked the idea. At first chase didn't respond, but then his head darted up. "Wait... what?"

"I think you should adopt Nixi. We already talked about this."

"I know... but..."

"What exactly is your quest."

Ameril found. "To find a male Faerie."

Rosemadder frowned. "What..." She shook her head. "Never mind. It is rather simple to adopt. You just need to fill out the proper forms. I'll help you." The sound of her voice however said otherwise. "Name?"

"Chase."

"Your last name?" The boy didn't answer. "Fine... how about place of residence."

"It was the Faerie Library."

Rosemadder blinked a couple of times. "Hold on." She picked up the phone and proceeded to make a call. She spoke in a low tone, and then found herself blinking a couple of times. "I am told to simply let you go once I get your signature on the form Chase and that I am to send the adoption forms up to Faerieland. Apparently our Faerieland offices will handle the matter."

"That simple." Ameril looked at her in shock."

"Yes. That simple." She handed the form to Chase while Nixi went off to pack her things. The look on the young Ixi's face was pure excitement. They then left with the pack she provided to all new humans and let out a sigh. "I don't like this."

It was then that the young Neopet she had put in charge hurried forward. "The baby Gelert is gone."

Things certainly weren't her day.


	17. Travel Needs?

Chase never expected to find himself in such a situation.

Sitting in the plastic chair at the pound, Chase contemplated his life prior to the library burning. Nothing ever happened beyond the day-to-day routine the library drilled into his head. He woke up early in the morning and ate the breakfast she made. She then gave _boy_ chores which kept him busy, but out of eyesight. At lunch break, they ate together in the back room, and until dinner time he performed more chores. After dinner, he studied, but when chores weren't available, she allowed him to read a book he chose himself from the shelves. At night, she tucked him in and read aloud until he fell asleep.

Then a strange Ixi with no horns showed up in the basement of his home. The Library Faerie sent him through a portal that someone got passed the alarms at the academy which went off if anyone other than a Faerie or a Neopet escorted by a Faerie entered the building. He also met a Light Faerie who wanted to kill him, only to find out Ameril would go on a quest with him for the impossible – to find a male Faerie. Oh, and he also found himself curled up on the floor of a sky tram due to his fear of heights looking like a fool in front of both Nixi and Ameril, meaning the quest definitely started on the wrong foot.

Chase kept zipping and unzipping his bad, attempting to state the negative feelings pounding in his chest.

"Chase, could you stop that?"

The young man flinched, before setting his bad down so the temptation to unzip the bag didn't overcome him. Chase also shoved his hands into his pockets to prevent himself from picking up the bag and continuing the OCD behavior. He also found himself unable to look her in the eye. For a brief second, he caught sight of what looked like a baby Gelert sneaking around, only for his attention to turn back to Rosemadder when the suggestion of adopting Nixi came up. He signed his name, unsure how things would turn out, given the fact he was – as Ameril liked pointing out, in the world illegally.

Picking up his bag, he frowned. His bag felt a tad heavier than before, and yet perhaps he was mistaken as the amount of weight seemed ever so slight. He opened his mouth, only for Ameril to grab his hand, hurrying him to the next stop, one of the shops where they would gather supplies. Except, the trip felt more like a shopping trip as Ameril would look at the windows of certain shops, yet also dragged him into a clothes shop.

"Ameril…"

"I told you that you needed more clothes."

"I have plenty."

"Come on. Are they all black t-shirts and blue jeans?"

"Yes…"

"Well…"

"Please!"

The Faerie took a deep breath, glancing back at Chase. Her eyes seemed irritated, and he found himself swallowing. He started backing away, his eyes darting to the ground, only to find himself bumping into someone. He spun around, knocking into the clothes rack, nearly knocking the rack over. Or at least, Chase thought he did.

Taking a deep breath, he found himself bowing towards the person he'd bumped into. "I'm sorry!"

"It's okay."

"No. I should have watched where I was going." Chase lifted his head up, his mouth opening to apologize again, only for the apology to remain frozen. A young female with reddish hair stood in front of him, her arms crossing behind her. Something felt familiar to her, and yet he couldn't place where he'd seen her before. " _I've only ever been in the library and academy._ " Realization hit, and his eyes darted away. "You're a Faerie, aren't you? By your coloring, I'm guessing a Fire Faerie specifically."

He didn't notice the female's eyes blink, her mouth twisting in amusement. "Yes. How did you know?"

Chase felt his throat tighten, but he also started looking up at the person. "I…"

"Yes, how did you know?" Ameril's tone of voice tightened, making him glance at the ground.

"I guess it is true then, that you're going around with a human and a hornless Ixi on a quest. Is it really…"

"Stop!"

"We are looking for Boy Faeries! This is Chase, and I'm Nixi. What's your name?"

"Rose."

"Your name is Rasila!" Ameril croaked. "What is with you and liking human things?"

Chase shifted from one foot to another. "I…" He glanced up, only for Rose to lean forward, shoving her face in near his, forcing the young man to look her in the eye. He froze, unsure of how to react to such close contact. "Umm…"

"You're kind of cute. Ameril's lucky to…"

"Rose!" Ameril's voice made Rose pull back, but not before she let out a deep breath, tickling Chase's nose, making his eyes close, nor did he like how that felt. "Seriously, posing as a human."

"Says the Faerie currently in human form rather than her normal form." Rose laughed. She leaned back on her heels, still taking Chase in. Opening one eye, Chase saw Rose's mouth twist slightly. "What are you two up to."

"Getting Chase new clothes."

"Yes, but why?"

"Because…"

"Ameril, does he need new clothes, let alone wants new clothes?"

"That…"

"What kind of clothes do you have Chase?" Rose reached for his bag, only for the young man to flinch. "Okay. Then tell me."

"Socks, necessities, shirts, and jeans."

"By necessities, I'm assuming you mean underwear."

"That…" Chase felt his cheeks begin to heat up, his voice stammering at the mentioning of such a thing. His eyes closed. " _Seriously. They're both girls._ "

"Rasila!"

"Well, I guess you might need a coat but are you going anywhere where you would need a coat?"

"I don't believe so," Chase muttered.

"We don't know where we're going." Ameril sighed.

"Well, buy a coat for him when _you_ need to buy one Ameril. Chase isn't a doll for you to dress up."

"I'm not…"

"Come on. I know you like clothes shopping but are into the latest trends. The one human thing you're into, I know, is knowing what is _in_ for human males."

"You think I want to secretly _date_ a human?" Ameril's voice tightened. Chase closed his eyes, so he wouldn't see how irate the Light Faerie was, even if she was only in her human form.

"I _didn't_ say such a thing."

"Could we please talk about something else?" Chase's voice strained, the conversation becoming awkward in a way he didn't like. He felt someone pinch his cheek, making his eyes snap open to find Rose smiling, her fingers pinching his cheeks.

"I like the idea of there being male Faeries. Not fare I think that female humans get such cute guys and we don't."

"Uh…" Chase felt Ameril grab his hand, tugging him away from Rose and out of the clothes shop. The Light Faerie said something about not saying anything about what she was doing, else she'd make Rasila's life miserable. Rasila said something about Ameril's bite being worse than her bark, yet Chase didn't believe this. His head hung. "What next?"

"What's next?" Ameril took a deep breath. "We're going to go to the lodge to stay the night. I'll make sure they get us rooms next door to each other, as they don't have suites at the lodge. Oh, and Nixi will share a room with me."

Chase didn't argue, simply hanging his head, feeling in a way filthy. The room Ameril paid for felt so empty, yet he wondered how he'd sleep that night. He set his bag down on the sink, opening it up, only to notice it was slightly unzipped. His eyes blinked, his mouth forming a grimace as he noticed the surprise in his bag. He reached in, lifting up the baby Gelert, only for the creature to growl at him. Taking a deep breath, he headed over to Ameril and Nixi's room, knocking on the door.

Nixi appeared. "Chase! I want to stay with you!"

"Uh…"

"What are you doing!" Ameril took a deep breath. "Go to your own room!"

"But…" Chase took a deep breath, looking down at the Baby Gelert in his bag. "So, what am I supposed to do with you? And where did you come from?"


	18. Bleakness

Chase set the bag down on the end of the bed, watching the Baby Gelert crawl out of the bag. He'd wanted help from Ameril, as she seemed far, far more knowledgeable regarding the outside world than some human child stuck inside his entire life. He leaned back on the palms of his hands, worried about what to do. The Baby Gelert glared at him, while Chase sat down on the bed, his legs crossed, his chin resting in the palms of his hand. "What am I supposed to do with you, but where did you come from?"

A yipping sound came from the creature, making Chase frown even more. The Gelert hopped off the bed, before heading into the bathroom. What the Baby Gelert was doing, Chase didn't know until the toilet flushed, and the Gelert came back in, quite pleased with himself. Chase watched him jump onto the bed with ease, before heading over to the pillows and making a nest out of them. The young man continued to watch for a few minutes before asking a rather simple question. "Let me guess. The pillows are all yours tonight?"

The Baby Gelert let out a snort as if he found Chase's question amusing, before closing his eyes to sleep. Reaching out to pet the Gelert proved tempting, only for Chase to flinch back as the creature nipped at the tips of his fingers.

Taking a deep breath, Chase grabbed his bag and headed to the shower. He'd not showered since the fire, and the smell of smoke clung to him and the clothes he wore. Leaning against the cold tiles, his mouth pushed together as he stood there. For a brief moment, a chill seemed to come over the shower, and Chase's hand reached out to turn the heat on, only to feel slightly woozy, as he felt too hot only a few seconds later. One of his hands reached up to touch his forehead, a deep breath escaping his lungs at the discomfort he felt. The end result was the shower ended sooner than he wanted.

Chase headed back into the room he shared with the stowaway, his mouth twisting into a frown as he watched the Baby Gelert make himself comfortable on the pillows, almost as if he planned on taking over the entire bed despite his small size, almost as if used to such a thing. The thought seemed strange, but a knock at the door drew his attention away.

Heading over to the door, Chase opened it up. His mouth opened and his eyes blinked upon seeing Ameril standing there. Before he could ask what to do with the Baby Gelert, he found a pizza box shoved into his arms. "I couldn't very well let you starve, could I? I'm not a Dark Faerie after all."

She reached in to close the door, the head of the bed blocked from her sight. A click made Chase take a deep breath, opening up the lid. "Pizza again?"

One look rather turned him off, and he dropped the pizza onto the table in the room, before looking at the Baby Gelert who seemed quite happy taking over the bed. Chase plopped down against the wall, letting out a deep breath as the Gelert stood up and turned around, making himself quite comfortable on the pillows. Looking up at the ceiling, Chase couldn't help but feel empty, but he also wondered if the Library Faerie would be okay. Closing his eyes, he found himself dozing off.

Something nudged him awake. Opening his eyes, Chase groaned, feeling super stiff. His bright blue eyes blinked, noticing the Baby Gelert had approached him. Taking a deep breath, he also noticed the Gelert dragged one of the pillows from the bed over to him, but also nudged him again.

"Um, thanks." Chase wasn't sure what to think and swallowed away the dryness in his throat. The young man felt wetness coming from his eyes, making him realize he'd started to cry in his sleep. Gritting his teeth, he watched the Gelert carefully. The Gelert, despite all its growling, was super cute, but the yellow coat seemed super soft. Without realizing it, Chase reached out, scooping the small Gelert up into his arms, hugging the small animal to his chest, his breath coming out hard as his eyes closed.

The tears wanted to come out, yet he fought the urge, feeling so childish in doing so. The Gelert nipped at his fingers, but let out a sound indicating not liking being scooped. After a few minutes of calming himself, he set the rather annoyed creature down. "Sorry. So sorry."

The Gelert glared at him.

Chase took a deep breath. "I know. I know. I'm such a baby, an even bigger baby than you are. I can't help wanting to cry though. Not when I don't know if she's going to be okay. I don't know if she's going to be okay, but Queen Fyora sent me on some stupid quest to find something which doesn't exist. Male Faeries, of all things. Oh, and there's also the fact I'm an illegal human, among other things. My life stinks."

The Baby Gelert continued to glare at him.

"Sorry. I mean, you've got your own situation." Chase took a deep breath, plopping his head down on the pillow, lying down on the hard floor, letting the Baby Gelert go back to the bed. He took a deep breath, hoping his body would relax, but whatever nightmares which plagued him would simply go away. He felt something move under his arm and opened his eyes to catch sight of the Gelert slipping in to snuggle close. Said Gelert managed to drag something – an old stuffed animal – out of the bag with him.

Swallowing, Chase closed his eyes, still unsure of what to do with the stowaway, yet also wondering how the Baby Gelert got into his bag. He knew he'd need to talk to Ameril in the morning, but he wasn't sure if she would let him say anything.


	19. Tyrannia Bound

"I'm not a Dark Faerie after all."

The door of the room Ameril shared with Nixi clicked behind her, her own words continuing to nag at the back of her mind. The smell of pizza filled the room, and her stomach grumbled. She looked at the pink, hornless Ixi, her lips pushing together as she noted the way Nixi crossed her hooved forelimbs in front of her. "You're not very nice."

Ameril pulled her hands behind her back, rubbing them slightly in irritation. "What do you mean?"

"What did Chase ever do to you, to make you treat him like you do?"

The fact she _wasn't_ a Dark Faerie nagged even more. Ameril knew full well her behavior left a lot to be desired, yet she also didn't know how to react to Nixi calling her out.

"Well?"

"Seriously, what do you mean by that? How have I been mean to Chase?"

"You didn't let me stay with Chase! I want to sleep with Chase!"

"You're a girl!" Ameril took a deep breath, finding Nixi's clingy personality just as bad as Chase's. It honestly bothered her, the way Chase showed up looking nervous like he had, yet also slightly creeped her out. "He's a guy!"

Nixi took a deep breath, pouting. "And you're being mean to him!"

"Again, how so!"

"I don't know!"

"If you don't know, then I'm not being mean!"

"That's not what I meant! I meant I don't know how to say you're being mean, but I know you are!"

Ameril let out a sigh, plopping down onto the bed. "We've got a quest to go on, so we need to get a good night sleep. Alright?" Nixi scowled, but Ameril turned off the light without any argument. In the morning, her alarm went off and she nudged the small Ixi awake, before going to knock on Chase's door. She let him know they'd be leaving soon, but to be ready when she got back with Nixi. When the door opened again on her return, she noticed bags under his eyes, but his clothes were slightly disheveled.

She couldn't help but notice he no longer smelled like smoke. In fact, he'd not smelled like smoke the night before, yet remembered him coming to the door with his hair soaked. He'd not changed into pajamas the night before. Ameril didn't ask, remembering the day before when they'd entered the clothing store. He frowned, before looking at the ground. "What?"

"Nothing. We need to make the bus to Tyrannia."

"Tyrannia's across a body of water."

"The bus loads onto a boat. Come on. The earliest one leaves soon, but we can grab something to eat at the bus station."

Chase remained where he was, but then closed the door behind him before lifting Nixi up into his arms. He said nothing as he followed Ameril but then spoke in a soft tone. "Look…"

"What."

"About last night."

"You do not need to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?"

"What else would you have come to my room for that late at night?" Ameril took a deep breath. "It certainly wasn't appropriate. The response she received was a squeak, which she took as his understanding he'd overstepped, but she hoped it would not occur again. She heard him mutter, but Nixi let out a yawn, telling her it was still too early for the young Nixi. The arrived at the station, and she purchased the tickets, pleased to find out those Nixi's age were free.

Turning back to look at Chase, she saw both the young man and Nixi nearly falling over. Letting out a sigh, she tugged on his arm, guiding him to the bus, purchasing a few breakfast items from a vending machine on the way by. He startled a few minutes later, glancing down at his bag, swallowing as he did so. Ameril glanced out the window, taking in a deep breath upon seeing the approaching ocean.

"Neither of you've seen the ocean before, have you?" She watched Chase's attention perk, yet he seemed to pull his bag closer as he looked outside. She couldn't help but notice the color drain from Chase's already pale skin. His bright blue eyes also seemed to briefly change slightly, only for the Light Faerie to think she was mistaken. Ameril looked away, remembering his reaction to flying. "Please tell me you're not going to get seasick as well, and that all modes of travel other than walking are out?"

Chase's eyes blinked, then shook his head. "No. It's not…"

His mouth clamped shut, and he fidgeted with the bag. Ameril noticed he didn't close the zipper all the way, but also played with the zipper end, rubbing it between his fingers nervously. Nixi awoke, distracting her from Chase's behavior. The Ixi stared out at the ocean, her jaw dropping. Something in the back of mind noted the difference in the two's reactions. Taking a deep breath, she sat there as the bus clanked onto the boat, the windows open allowing the ocean breeze to blow in.

One of the other passengers spoke up. "You know, while the boat is crossing the water you can go outside the bus, and look out."

Nixi was off, a ball of energy while Chase's eyes widened in horror. If the color hadn't already drained from his face, Ameril was sure it would have at that moment. He stood up, hurrying after her, and she followed suit, hoping the small Ixi wouldn't get into trouble which would result in Ameril needing to use her magical abilities. She walked over to the edge, watching as Chase muttered something about remaining safe as he lifted Nixi up and let her watch the ocean waves.

"So, how is seeing the ocean for the first time, you two?"

"It's wonderful!" Ixi reached out, waving her arms as Chase struggled to hold onto the pink, hornless Ixi.

"I don't think…" Chase's eyes closed, taking a deep breath.

"What?" Ameril found herself annoyed at his inability to say something.

"It's the first time."

"What?" The confusion began to set in, remembering Chase never left the library, and yet she knew he had to at some point. Humans, after all, came from another world.

"Just, ' _where the sun touches the golden sea_ , _that is where you'll find me_ '." The young man took a deep breath, making him sound unsure of himself.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. Just, I think I've seen the ocean before, but this isn't the place."

Ameril shook her head, before tugging the two back inside the bus. She opened up the packages of breakfast foods, handing some to Chase. Out of the corner of her eye, she was sure he slipped some into his bag. "You don't have to save it for later. I've got quite a bit of money saved up."

Chase simply swallowed.


	20. Baby Gelert

Chase wondered if in another world he might be less socially awkward but could perhaps speak his mind regarding things he found important, nor be accused of imparities he didn't commit. Ameril drew his attention away from his self-thought and analysis, as well as worrying still about the stowaway in his bag, making him look up. "Neither of you've seen the ocean before, have you?"

Chase looked up, thinking Ameril correct, only for a flicker of a memory to hit hard, but unwanted. " _Where the sun touches the golden sea, that is where you'll find me._ " He looked out at the blue ocean, and yet the color didn't match the memory – an ocean-hued gold as the sunset in the evening sky, a small island in the distance just off the shore. None of it he could explain, particularly since his entire life was spent in the library.

When Ameril handed him some of the CinemaCon rolls from the packages, of which he passed some to his stowaway. Nixi wanted to go back out, but to also chase some gulls as the Baby Gelert moved about in the bag, possibly due to not hiding from Chase anymore. The young man swallowed, not liking the quest due to being forced out of his comfort zone.

Slowly, the sun began to rise up, but as the sun beat down, the bus began to heat up. Chase took a deep breath, feeling the sweat begin to trickle off his body. Ameril and Nixi seemed unbothered by the heat. Unzipping his bag, he peeked in at his hidden charge, wondering how the Baby Gelert was doing. The Gelert's tongue panted, and Chase took a deep breath, knowing he needed to tell Ameril about the stowaway, but hoped this time he might be able to talk to her before something prevented him from doing so.

His mouth opened, only for the Baby Gelert to stick it's head out, the heat becoming too much. Ameril's eyes widened, her voice straining. "Chase… where did _that_ come from?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

The look on Ameril's face reminded him of the look the Library Faerie gave him when she got mad, taking a deep breath, he looked down. "No…"

"You weren't going to tell me?" Her voice strained, while Nixi looked at the Gelert in excitement, the mental cogs in her mind already turning.

"I tried telling you last night!" Chase's voice strained, cracking. He grimaced, remembering the first time this happened, only for the Library Faerie to tell him that was normal when a male hit puberty. He didn't though like how it felt or sounded.

"What do you mean? You didn't…"

"I knocked on the door to your room when I found him!" He watched Ameril take a deep breath. "Yet you thought! You thought!" He swallowed, looking away. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Ameril move, reaching for the Baby Gelert, only for the creature to nip at the Light Faerie.

"Okay. Look. Here's some water. Give him some, and drink some yourself."

Chase took a deep breath, unscrewing the cap, wondering what all she carried in her satchel, letting the Gelert lap up what he wanted. He then handed the bottle to Nixi, who drank a good amount of the rest before finishing off a couple of inches left. One hand reached out to massage the top of Nixi's head, making her magenta eyes close in excitement. She'd not yet said anything about the Baby Gelert, but then…"I want to call him Benny!"

Chase choked, some of the precious liquid going elsewhere. He wiped his mouth, looking down at the Ixi. Ameril's voice strained. "We _can't_ keep him! Chase, we need to figure out where he came from!"

"I…" Chase took a deep breath, glancing over his shoulder slightly. "Kind of don't know."

"I already know you don't know!" Ameril took a deep breath. "Could he be from the pound?"

"No. I've never seen him before." Nixi piped up. "Baby Neopets go fast. They're _really_ lucky."

For some reason, a shudder came from the Baby Gelert as if Nixi said something it didn't like. He wasn't sure Benny liked the name Benny either. He closed his eyes, not liking the heat. Ameril's voice strained. "Well, we're calling the pound once we get to Tyrannia!"

"You can't. Tyrannia doesn't have that kind of technology." Chase frowned. "You've got to send a telegram."

"Fine." Ameril leaned back, folding her arms. "You two – three, are so much trouble."

Chase swallowed, thinking about the Library Faerie. Grinding his teeth together in irritation, his head tilted up in an attempt to control the woozy feeling in his head. His tongue felt as if it stuck to the roof of his mouth. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he listened to his own breath as the air went in and out. He closed his eyes, waiting for the ride to end. There was no air-conditioning, but there were also quite a few on the bus with them.

Worse, the sea breeze which brought some relief died down shortly before arriving at the port which would lead up to Tyrannia. Glancing out, his eyes opening briefly. His eyes took in the desert-like landscape. Nixi stood up, attempting to see out the window. "There's a weird city up ahead."

Chase titled his head, opening his eyes, so he caught sight of the stone houses. They stopped in front of one – the bus stop and got off. Ameril took a deep breath. "First off, we contact Rosemadder about our little friend Benny here."

A yip came from the disgruntled baby Gelert indicating a dislike of the name. Chase's blue eyes looked around, the sweat still coming. "Is there a place to send a telegraph."

"I think over there." Ameril nodded her head. "I'll go ahead and send it."


End file.
